Unrealistic Masculine Gender Norms Could Lead To Violence

Trending News: Not Being Masculine Enough Is Stressing Guys Out

Why Is This Important?

Because it would be nice to live in a place where men are happy with who they are.

Long Story Short

The results of an online survey suggest guys who try to act more manly are more likely to commit violent assaults.

Long Story

We all know those overly macho men — hell, maybe you’re even one of them. We tend to give them lots of room because they can be big, in your face and won't back down from a challenge. Chances are, however, if you’re not that macho guy, you’re the type who (maybe even secretly) is constantly worrying that he should be dialing up his toughness.

And that insecurity, it turns out, is a big problem.

Guys who believe they should be more manly are dealing with what's called “male discrepancy stress.” They see themselves as not “man enough” and believe others also perceive them as less than manly.

If you’re hyper-aggressive, arrogant, manipulative, selfish, violent, fearless, stoic, vain and cold, the Village People have a song about you.

If you’re emotionally fragile, dependent, irrational, non-committal, lethargic, submissive, unreliable and excessively fearful, most people would think you less than a man.

Not living up to gender norms — or even believing you don't — causes problems. That's when these more timid guys lash out.

Researchers used an online survey to take a close look at how 600 American men between the ages of 18 and 50 responded to questions about manliness and how they themselves fit into that manly mold.

It turns out men experiencing male discrepancy stress were more likely to report violent assaults and assaults where victims were injured than men who didn’t feel highly masculine (but were fine with that). There didn’t seem to be any connection between male discrepancy stress and substance or alcohol abuse.

The research, which appears online in the journal Injury Prevention, suggests men trying to act more manly are just as likely to have violent tendencies as highly masculine men.

Study authors suggest society should look more closely at how masculine socialization and gender norms strain and stress boys and men.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: How messed up is our perception of what a real man is?Disrupt Your Feed: Maybe media products should be reviewed for appropriate masculine content and approved by experts prior to public consumption.Drop This Fact: One 1992 study by an expert on the psychology of men discovered objectifying sex and being homophobic were among seven principles summarizing traditional masculinity.